In November of 1836, a committee was formed to apply to the Illinois state legislature for city charter for the township of Chicago.  A charter was prepared by the committee and submitted to the people for approval a t a mass meeting at the Saloon Building on Monday, January 23, 1837.  After a debate and a few slight altercations, the charter was approved and sent to the legislature.  There, with a few amendments, it was enacted into law on March 4, 1837.  William Ogden was selected as the first Mayor of Chicago.  At the time, Chicago had a population of 4,170 and today the number is just around 2.7 million. 

March 4, 2011 marks the 174th birthday for the City of Chicago. For a number of years the city has celebrated this occassion at the Chicago History Museum.  All are invited, particularly those who share March 4 as a birthday are invited as well as city officials.  This year, the festivities begin at 11:00 am and all attendees will get a free piece of birthday cake, courtesy of Bleeding Heart Bakery.

For more details visite www.explorechicago.org/specialevents.